Abstrakt Instruments VS-1 Analog Synth - Oberheim OB-X Inspired Rackmount Synth

@swissdoc - der olle Synth is doch schnell zusammengebrutzelt. 😉
Werde, sofern ich den zeitnah in die Finger bekomme, soundtechnisch berichten.
 
@powmax
Ich bin gespannt, was Du aus der Kiste zaubern wirst.

@NicGrey
Alles klar, aber bei der Nummer weiss man nie. Ich habe die Hoffnung noch nicht aufgegeben, vielleicht klappt es noch in 2024.
 
Project Update #86: VS-1 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer by Abstrakt Instruments

Week 188 Update

Posted by Abstrakt Instruments
Feb 8, 2024


Hi Everyone,
The Build Manual v0.83 is now online. The sections for PCB Assembly, PCB-specific notes, and Final Assembly are mostly complete. I wanted to get it out as soon as possible as you guys have most of the DIY kit on hand. Section 4 on Calibration still needs to be completed.
  • The Build Manual can be considered the master document for the VS-1 DIY build & assembly. It will always include direct links to the latest PCB Assembly Pages, the latest DIY BOM, and the Engineering Change Orders right at the top of Section 1 (links will still be available on the website as well).
  • The majority of build steps have a corresponding video direct-linked within the document (so far every step has a corresponding video). There are currently 25 videos. We have redone many videos to try and improve the video quality.
  • All of the parts used for each step are listed at the start of the step, and the Bag #'s for the parts are noted. If you have a Full parts kits you will have many bags labeled 1 though 26 to make it easier to locate parts (there will be more Bag #'s to come w/ the SMD assemblies). If you have a Standard kit (no rare parts or full parts included) you may not have all of your bags labeled.
  • You will notice there are two ECO's currently listed. There are a couple of part value changes. The specifics of the change are noted in the ECO, and any updates to document revisions are noted. If you have a full parts kit the new parts w/ updated values will be included along with the SMD assemblies in the second package. At this point we don't foresee any other changes.
We have shipped the main DIY kit package (all Standard Kits, Standard + Rare Parts Kits, & Full Parts Kits) to all but one backer. The only person we are aware of that we have not had contact from is Backer #52 - Richard L. If this is you please get in contact! If there is anyone else that believes they are owed a kit and have not heard from us please email briancastro2@gmail.com

Aside from general work on the operating system, the main milestone we have been working on is finishing the bootloader so that we can install it into the MCU modules and ship out the SMD assemblies. We really want to get the mainboards out so you guys can get working on those (there is a fair bit of through-hole assembly to be done). The original plan was to have a single update method - namely MSD (mass storage device). Using this method the VS-1 simply shows up as a drive on the computer and you can just drag the OS file onto the VS-1. However, there have been problems w/ this method, specifically on Mac OS versions, and we have pretty much ruled it out. Currently the primary method is via the old standby of MIDI sysex. However, it's slower and it's clunky as it relies on third-party software (MIDI-Ox. Sysex Librarian etc..) so we are also working on USB thumb drive and SD methods. As soon as we decide we will start shipping the SMD parts.

Lastly, I'm behind on support (emails, messages & texts). A good part of tomorrow (Friday Feb 9th) will be dedicated to catching up. If you haven't heard back from me I would expect a reply tomorrow.

Brian Castro | Abstrakt Instruments
 
Project Update #87: VS-1 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer by Abstrakt Instruments

Week 188 Update #2

Posted by Abstrakt Instruments
Feb 9, 2024


Hi Everyone,

I'm slowly making it through this weeks backlog of support requests. If you haven't heard from me yet you will very soon. So far kit fulfillment problems are not too bad, some of you are missing a part or in some cases a bag. It definitely helped to organize everything into separate bags to find missing parts. One mystery has definitely been solved... many of you are missing the 8pin headers for the voice cards. This is definitely noted. If you are one of the people we will be sending out the missing connectors. It also explains why we had 1000pcs left over ;-)

Brian
 
Project Update #88: VS-1 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer by Abstrakt Instruments

Week 191 Update

Posted by Abstrakt Instruments
Feb 9, 2024


Hi Everyone,

Not too much of a productive update but I want to let you know what we are up to. We had to move our office over the past few weeks. To keep it short, we were in the offices for just shy of 10 years and not exactly prepared and it was quite grueling and certainly not fun. We are now back up to 100% although stuffed into about 65% of the previous space. We've been shipping Avalon's during the transition but VS-1 work suffered a bit while we got set up at the new location. We will be back to weekly updates next week. If you have emailed me and have not received a response the past two weeks I will be catching up this week. I will also be supporting the VS-1 DIY builds.

Brian Castro | Abstrakt Instruments
 
Project Update #89: VS-1 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer by Abstrakt Instruments

Week 192 Update

Posted by Abstrakt Instruments
Mar 15, 2024

Hi Everyone,

We're still waiting for the mainboards to be completed and shipped back to us so we can send the second part of the DIY kits. As mentioned back in December they've been sitting at the manufacturer for many months waiting for the last few component values to be determined. This is the last part we are waiting for, as soon as they arrive the rest of the DIY kits will be shipped. I don't have a firm ETD as of today but this will happen much faster than the rollout of the main package as there's only a few parts to track and pack versus thousands of parts.

Also, we're still deciding on the bootloader for production for both DIY and retail, there is still some testing to do. We want it to be robust but easy as possible. There are pros and cons of each method.

I will update again next week.

Brian Castro | Abstrakt Instruments
 
Project Update #90: VS-1 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer by Abstrakt Instruments

Week 193 Update

Posted by Abstrakt Instruments
Mar 22, 2024


It's been a pretty good week. I didn't want to make any excuses the past few weeks but it was very difficult moving the office in a short time. I was personally feeling very tired before finding out I had COVID. I worked through it but feeling much better now.

Even better when I checked in and found that the bootloader was now working for all methods. The user will have an option on how to update the operating system. You can use a USB thumb drive, SD Card, USB or DIN MIDI, or PC/Mac. You select the method on the display when the unit is powered up in update mode. All methods for updating use the same exact file so it's very simple. Obviously, there will be a video showing this but I wanted to share now as it is exciting and another hurdle that has been cleared. The list of remaining milestones is getting short but we still have some hard work to do.

Brian Castro | Abstrakt Instruments
 
Project Update #91: VS-1 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer by Abstrakt Instruments

Week 194 Update

Posted by Abstrakt Instruments
Mar 29, 2024


Hi everyone,

Nothing very exciting but another good week. This week was spent mostly getting the OLED & simple GUI working for the bootloader so we can get it installed on the microcontroller boards and get the SMD assemblies out to you guys with DIY kits. We're still waiting on the mainboards - so at this point that will be the determining factor as to when the SMD assemblies will ship.

For those of you that may not be aware of terminology such as bootloading etc.. I thought it may help some of you understand exactly what's been going on the last several weeks.

In-System Programming & Debugging

During development, different tools can be used to interface with an embedded system, in our case a SoM, or System-on-Module (Embedded Artists iMX RT1062 OEM). Generally, during debugging you want to be able to work on the firmware while the whole system is hooked up and be able to quickly flash new versions of code. This is generally referred to as ISP, in-system programming. This can be done via many interfaces but the most common is JTAG. This is the method we used for all development to this point (although we do now also use J-Trace, which is great for analyzing the multi-threaded RTOS we have).

Bootloader

Fast forward to mid-2023 and we're getting closer to finishing the VS-1 and need to start thinking about how the end-user is going to be able to easily update the operating system. This is done via the bootloader. This is a separate piece of code outside the main operating system that allows you to update the operating system. Although it is possible to have you guys upload the bootloader to the boot ROM this is not ideal, so we needed to finish the bootloader so we can install it on every module before we send them out to the DIY folks along with the other SMD assemblies. Fortunately, we have completed the core of the bootloader to be able to upload new OS versions by multiple methods...
  • SDCard
  • USB Drive
  • USB MIDI
  • DIN MIDI
  • PC/Mac (mass storage device)
To implement these multiple methods, the bootloader needed additional code to be written to be able to use the same file with all update methods. This was completed over the last several weeks. In addition, we needed to access several peripherals inside the bootloader, including the buttons, LED's, encoder, OLED, etc... In the case of the OLED the operating system uses a graphics library called LVGL. However, to access the OLED for the bootloader we had to revert to a lower-level driver and graphics library. This is what we worked on this week, the software as well as the user interface to make it easy to select update method and perform the update.

Brian Castro | Abstrakt Instrumetns
 
Project Update #92: VS-1 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer by Abstrakt Instruments

Week 196 Update

Posted by Abstrakt Instruments
Apr 17, 2024


Hi Everyone,

I'm going to post this update here in the middle of the night before I get in the weeds again and another week passes! We're at the point where the hardware is 100% done and we're just working on the user interface and other operating system details. I'm well aware that we're looking at years that have passed at this point but there is still some stuff to do. There are two of us working on the operating system trying to get it to a 1.0 release and it is getting full attention.

I can confirm that we have achieved the target of having 512 patches, 128 splits & 128 duals in internal memory, with limitless bank storage via SDCard. Each patch also has a 64 step (max) sequence associated with it, as well as arpeggiator etc... There are still no production spec VS-1's out there except for those of us working on it. As soon as we have a mature OS candidate they will be in the hands of a few others. I'm sure it will be nice to start hearing it again rather than just seeing parts & assemblies. It's been quite a journey that I never thought could take nearly this long. In hindsight, the hardware itself took a massive amount of effort even though there were not many appreciable revisions (aside from the chorus stretch goal), and I wish we would have ported the software and had many of the details already in place before funding (user interface, new DAC implementation, USB host, fan controller, etc.. ). You live and you learn. As it stands we're trying to stay healthy and work hard.

This is what it's looking like at my main desk at 3:40. An absolute mess! Just keeping my head down and making as much progress on the operating system as possible.

Brian Castro | Abstrakt Instruments
 
Project Update #93: VS-1 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer by Abstrakt Instruments

Week 201 Update

Posted by Abstrakt Instruments
May 28, 2024

Hi everyone,

I'm fully aware it has been 5 weeks since the last update. I will be posting an update this week. I've been out sick for a while so it will take me a day or so to get back up to speed. We've been solely working on the operating system, as it's all that remains to be done. I'm intimately involved in the OS now and undoubtedly ran myself into the ground trying to get it all done. Of course its been a long time already but there is indeed still a list of things to do with the OS. I will try to share the details without getting too much into the weeds.

Brian Castro | Abstrakt Instruments
 
Einen haben wir noch, sogar mit Video und Sound am Schluss. Ich brauchte eine kurze Pause ;-)
 
Project Update #94: VS-1 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer by Abstrakt Instruments

Week 202 Update

Posted by Abstrakt Instruments
Jun 3, 2024


The video is an overview of the current status of the VS-1. To summarize, we are basically down to completing the operating system.

As mentioned in the video I’m listing below the items of the OS that are completed and the items that still need to be completed. I have tried to include an exhaustive list without going into too much detail, but it’s possible I may have missed one or more items. The idea is to give you more specific details of what we are working on and more specific milestones to reach as the OS is completed. Sorry for the shaky hand-held video, it was better to try to capture some of this on video rather than writing an essay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgQsT5ZWLDY



I could list pages worth of accomplishments for the parts of the OS that are completed, but for this I will just list the complete modules of code that have been completed:
  • Flashloader application
  • Bootloader application
  • Custom libraries for USB & DIN MIDI, SDCard, Buttons & LEDs, DAC, ADC, Encoder, Control Latch functions, Keyboard Gate functions
  • FreeRTOS Integration
  • OLED drivers & LVGL integration
We’re down to specific details of the operating system. Getting all the modes working, getting it as efficient as possible, getting the response of all the controls as ideal as possible, and completing the GUI. Still to do:
  • User Interface: This has been one of the most difficult aspects of the operating system. The original prototypes did not make use of the display and did not make use of the additional silkscreen layer that we added (direct access to each voice module from the buttons). We have changed interface elements and implementation multiple times, including fonts and the behavior of the OLED when controls are turned or selected during each mode of operation. On one hand, we want to display as much information as possible, but on the other hand, it can become distracting when the OLED or LED’s are overly active when navigating the GUI. With this said, I’m still not happy with the look of the OLED response in several areas. Also, we still haven’t added the OLED response for some of the GUI modes.
  • Sequencer feature set & user interface: The sequencer code is vast, it goes way beyond what is needed in the VS-1 as it was written for multiple applications. We originally planned to add a multitude of features. However, as the VS-1 has progressed it has reached the point of diminishing returns when the user interface and overall strengths of the instrument are considered. We have simplified the implementation to some degree. We still have a lot of testing to do to get the sequencer fully integrated into the OS.
  • Patch Memory Allocation / memory map: The internal flash is 128Mbit or 16MB and can hold 512 patches and 128 splits & dual programs. NOR flash is relatively inexpensive but can only be erased in sectors or blocks so we have to allocate 4kb sectors per patch program. This includes an associated sequence and many parameters. The specific map for each patch has changed as we’ve gone on but we’re at the point where it's likely complete. Until this point we’ve generally been working from RAM with an initialized or live panel mode - and haven’t been too concerned about the external patch memory. We will also need to complete the serialization of the patch/program handling. This can be tricky sometimes and I’m not sure at this point how much work this will take.
  • Voice allocation modes: The robin robin mode is the OB-X style mode that we have used from the beginning. But Reassign & Reset allocation modes are also being added. The allocation mode has a major impact on the character of vintage analog synths, or any synth for that matter. The allocation mode is saved on a per patch basis, not as a global parameter. To this point we haven't done any work on the additional modes.
  • Digital Modulation: The digital modulations (primarily LFO’s) need to be reworked based on the final specification of the cv scanning & modulation system.
  • Fan Controller: This one won’t take too much work but hasn’t bee completed yet. To this point we have only tested the closed-loop system to make sure it was working before we had the SMD assemblies made. There is currently and always on, always off and temperature-based fan speed modes. There is more control that will be added.
  • Chorus Control: We’ve been going in circles on the chorus settings. We have an extreme amount of control over chorus parameters. We are still deciding what amount of control to expose to the user, as it’s not very easy to use and likely not very musical when all the controls are simply exposed directly on the first layer of control. We still plan to have presets for various Juno style chorus modes as well as a second layer of more under-the-hood amounts control. Like some of the other modes we also still haven’t added any OLED response to the chorus parameters.
  • Control optimization: Some of the controls benefit greatly from a limited or scaled response. For one example, under certain conditions, the level controls for the OTA’s and VCA’s at various points in the analog path may benefit from a tailored response so that the control range is most effective. First, so that the the the control range feels linear so that the entire range is useful and proportionate. Second, so that the signal is not allowed to veer off into distortion. Some of this optimization is already done in hardware, but only so much can be tweaked there. So it is important to perfect the response in software. This is only one example, there are many places where this optimization will be done. To this point we haven’t focused on these areas.
  • General optimization: We’re still getting the OS as efficient as possible as it gets closer to completion. We’re working with a very fast CPU but it’s still a single core so the task handling needs to be as efficient as possible in the absence of a secondary processor to off-load certain tasks. The control voltage handling task takes up almost half of the execution time in most modes, so we’re always trying to optimize the RTOS to handle the tasks as efficiently as possible. We use tracing tools from Segger called SystemView w/ J-Trace to visualize the program execution. At this point we have converged to what I think is very close to the ideal implementation, but we do still have work to do to make sure critical tasks are optimized (fast CV udpating, timely handling of MIDI data including MIDI clock, fast potentiometer reading and updating, etc..). We also have 512KB of tighly-coupled RAM (TCM) on the processor that can be used for critical instructions and data. We haven’t yet determined the best use is for this memory.
Brian Castro | Abstrakt Instruments
 
Offensichtlich hat Brian Zwillinge im Haus, die ihn von der Arbeit abhalten. Kommt mir bekannt vor, auch wenn es schon lange her ist, dass meine Zwillinge mir den Schlaf geraubt haben.
 
Eher so, dass sie ihre eigene Synthese-Engine befeuert haben, wenn es irgendein ein Problem gab. So im Sinne von Magen zu leer, zu voll. Irgendwas ist da ja immer. Aber das ist bei Zwillingen nicht anders als bei Einlingen. Nur öfter und intensiver.
 
Project Update #95: VS-1 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer by Abstrakt Instruments

Week 211 Update

Posted by Abstrakt Instruments
August 07, 2024

Hi Everybody,

It's been several weeks since the last update. I promised weekly updates again and I will make my best effort to get back to it. The last several weeks have been busy. As many of you may know we had an issue on a batch of Avalon synths and have spent most of the time on these units. As far as VS-1 we're working exclusively on the user interface. I'm back up to speed on it this week - it can be difficult constantly changing gears but we're doing the best we can. We still have the SMD assemblies to ship. I'm being extremely cautious with the mainboard - with the OS not done yet I've decided to keep the mainboards on hand until we have a good build. I want to avoid shipping them out only to miss an issue that would require a recall. However, it's been so long it is a good idea to put a firm date on shipping SMD assemblies just to keep things moving. I will update on this soon. I will be sure to update again next week - even if not much news to share.

Brian Castro | Abstrakt Instruments
 
Project Update #96: VS-1 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer by Abstrakt Instruments

Week 212 Update

Posted by Abstrakt Instruments
August 16, 2024

Hi Everyone,

I'm checking in this week to get the ball rolling on weekly updates again. This week was more work on the user interface. Also, I completed some additional testing on the digital I/O peripherals (USB & SD) in anticipation of shipping the SMD assemblies.

Brian Castro | Abstrakt Instruments
 
Project Update #97: VS-1 Polyphonic Analog Synthesizer by Abstrakt Instruments

Week 214 Update

Posted by Abstrakt Instruments
September 03, 2024

Hi Everyone,

Apologies for not updating last week. We've continued work on the UI and did more testing to make sure the SMD assemblies are ready to ship. As I mentioned a few weeks ago I have prioritized delivery of the SMD assemblies for the DIY kits. I know it has taken much much longer than anyone ever expected, but I'm satisfied with the testing to finally get these parts out. The process of fullfilment for these assemblies will be much easier than the first part. We will check with every backer again to confirm address and ensure any missing parts from the first package are included. There are a few changes to components on the mainboard and DAC board, the most significant being a new voltage regulator for the DAC reference. I will update with more details when closer to shipping, it will still take some time to get everything ready.

Brian Castro | Abstrakt Instruments
 
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